The former host of the literary show and president of Goncourt has died at the age of 89, his family announced.
“ Hello, Bernard Pivot, can you react to the death of Michel Tournier, Jean d’Ormesson, Alexandre Soljenitsyn…? » Do not cross out the unnecessary mentions, there are none – he reacted to each of these disappearances, and to many others. He himself smiled at this reflex of journalists to call him as soon as the death of a writer is announced. He joked: “ I will be called on the phone to get a reaction to my own death », he laughed. For sure, he will be missed by many. Bernard Pivot died at the age of 89, his family announced to AFP on Monday.
His great story with books began with The literary Figaro. He often told it, notably in one of his bestsellers, The Wine Lovers Dictionary published in 2006 (still the collection’s best seller to this day), but also in Figaro. Pivot’s immense career owes a lot to Beaujolais. “It was September or October 1958, I was 23 years old, he told us. I was recruited by Maurice Noël, to whom I owe everything – his portrait has never left me. My arrival at Literary Figaro was a small event: it was the first time we had hired someone so young – the other editors could have been my father. I inaugurated the integration of other young people, like Jean Chalon, Dominique Jamet, who later joined me. »
Trained at the French Journalism Center (CFJ, class of 1955), he says that chance guided his life: “I was hired as an intern at Literary Figaro, but I was not a big reader, far from it. During the conversation, I told Maurice Noël that my parents made Beaujolais, and quite a good one, and he wanted to have a caquillon. This is how I got into Literary Figaro“. What a journey from the CFJ diploma to the presidency of Goncourt, including the creation and hosting of the most prestigious literary show, Apostrophes .
Read also“Apostrophes” was the place of contradictory debate
Bernard Pivot was born in Lyon on May 5, 1935. His parents were grocers. During the war, when his father was taken prisoner, he took refuge with his mother in Beaujolais. This childhood will mark him forever and give him a taste for good wine and gastronomy. After the baccalaureate, he entered the CFJ. His first job at Literary Figaro is modest. He told us: “ There was no question of literary criticism. We were “couriers” in the manner of what was done in the 19the century. We covered literary life, publishing and bookselling. We wrote news, briefs, echoes, little posts. With Jean Chalon, we carried out the most modest work, those that the other editors did not do. Jean and I were very complementary: he loved society salons – this is how he established links with Louise de Vilmorin, Natalie Barney, Florence Gould (they were nicknamed the three goddesses, each symbolizing an era in literary history, Editor’s note) and I loved the journalistic investigations into the world of publishing, the literary prizes… “. Already.
Read also1958: Bernard Pivot’s first article in Le Figaro littéraire
“The Ormesson swimming pool”
Little by little, Pivot rose through the ranks until he became the editor-in-chief of Literary Figaro. It is, once again, a twist of fate – a priori negative – which will launch him onto the track Apostrophes. In 1974, he was fired by Jean d’Ormesson, then general director of Figaro. The opportunity to tell another tasty anecdote, called “The Ormesson swimming pool”. “To be precise, Jean d’Ormesson did not dismiss me from FigaroI left because of him – or thanks to him, rather”, said Pivot, with that mischievous smile that never left him. And to add: “Jean Prouvost, the owner of the press group Figaro, wanted to entrust me with everything cultural. Jean d’Ormesson, the new director, had initially accepted, before noticing that it was complicated to offer a young man so much responsibility, overcoming bosses who were pampered, pampered and protected, by Malraux, for example. He had to back down and, as a result, I asked for my compensation, because I was ultimately the victim.”
Jean d’Ormesson ended up paying him these compensations with which Pivot had a swimming pool built in his house in Beaujolais… Swimming pool which bears the name “Jean d’Ormesson”! Who took it very well: “ I thought a school would be named after me after I died, he reactedI didn’t think we would give it to a swimming pool in my lifetime“. This “discussion” united the two men, who esteemed and admired each other (later, Jean d’Ormesson would be the record holder for guests on the show hosted by Bernard Pivot).
Louis Monier/Bridgeman images
After having left The literary FigaroPivot was a columnist for Europe 1, Pointat RTL… He founded and directed, from 1975, the magazine Read. Certainly, this year is to be marked with a milestone in his life; in fact, on January 10, 1975, what would be the business of his life was born: the literary program Apostrophes is broadcast for the first time on Antenne 2. Even today, more than a quarter of a century after the last one, the name of Pivot is viscerally linked to that of the literary program. He may have hosted other shows – Open the quotes, Culture broth, Double I, The Golden Dicosall successes – it’s Apostrophes which remains “the” reference in terms of culture on television. It is part of the collective memory.
“I have never been a man of power, but a man of influence”
Bernard Pivot
The start Apostrophes was nevertheless incredibly simple, Pivot had told it to the Figaro : “Yes, it was quite simple. After the breakup of the ORTF at the end of 1974, Marcel Jullian, an editor, became president of Antenne 2 in January 1975. His advisor was Jacques Chancel who said to me: “Do you want to join us on our channel? ” I had animated Open the quotes for a year and a half. I was already thinking about Apostrophes and I knew what it took to launch a good show around books. My project was on one sheet of paper. Jullian read it and told me : “It is very good”. No more complicated than that.” The show sold novels by the thousands, and made its host very popular. But Pivot has never abused this dominant position: “I have never been a man of power, but a man of influence“. He even refused to present the television news despite his notoriety. On the other hand, he will not refuse a seat – or rather a place to eat, a gastronome obliges – at the Goncourt Academy.
Read alsoBernard Pivot: “I had no power, but influence”
He will be the first non-writer to join the prestigious institution which reigns supreme in the republic of letters. Joined in 2005 and holder of place number 1, that of Léon Daudet, Colette and Jean Giono, among others, he will take the presidency of the Goncourt jury in 2013, replacing Edmonde Charles-Roux who is full of praise for his successor. She wanted to say, with great elegance, all the good things she thought of him. “Can we dream of better? Our new President is the most informed man, let us not forget, about what is happening at the moment in the field of books in France and in other countries. At FigaroEdmonde Charles-Roux highlighted the tremendous success of Bernard Pivot, particularly with the creation ofApostrophesand had affirmed that she did not understand why such a man had not been more considered, more consecrated.
Although he was not a writer, Bernard Pivot had nevertheless written around thirty works (he had tried his hand at a novel for his first title, Love in vogue, in 1959, but he did not consider the experiment conclusive). Most of his texts were successful and gave pride of place to words and language (his dictations achieved immense popular success, his witty tweets were widely followed). Even when he went on stage for his literary shows (Help, the words ate me, Memory does as it pleases), success was there.
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1935 Born in Lyon, childhood in Beaujolais.
1958 Enter at Literary Figaro. He becomes department head.
1975 Co-founded the show Apostrophes.
2005 Joins the Goncourt jury.
2006 Publish The Wine Lovers Dictionary.
2013 Appointed president of the Goncourt academy.
